Savai'i family's astronomical tale

By Tina Mata'afa-Tufele 12 February 2021, 6:00PM

A family in Falealupo, Savai’i have had a meteoric rise to prominence on social media after claiming a stone fell from the sky onto their property. 

In a video published on Facebook by Regina Maryknoll-Kona on 8 February 2021 a woman is seen holding a now-famous triangular shaped stone and tells the story of how she came to possess it. 

The woman was not home when the rock was discovered; it was instead seen by her husband and a man identified only as “the old man Penitusi.”

Standing in front of a small wall made of lava rocks in front of her home, the woman explains that the rock from the sky fell and onto the wall behind her.

It cracked some lava rocks upon impact but the rock itself remains intact, she says. 

After coming into contact with the wall, the rock was said to have ricocheted across the street and landed on the road, the woman explains.

“It flew over there and landed across the street,” she said on the social media post. 

Her husband and Penitusi retrieved the rock and described it as being “as cold as a block of ice.”


“My husband went and got the rock and when he held it, he said it was as cold as a block of ice,” the woman said.

Discussions ensued; it was even conjectured that the rock could have brought with it the pandemic.

The other witness, the woman said, told her the rock was not a sign of hardship but blessings. 

He said: ‘No, if the rock fell right in front of the two of you, it is a blessing for you and your family going into the future,” the woman said.

Mrs. Maryknoll-Kona explains in her video caption: “Here are some members of our family in Falealupo Savai’i, who went to see the stone that fell from the sky which many didn't believe.”

She has also posted photos of different people holding the stone.


The rock has become popular on Facebook but also the butt of many jokes from Samoans who are skeptical about the stone’s origin story. 

Another woman in Savai’i, Fina Elgar Penehuro, said she went to see the stone and posted photos of it on Facebook.

“This is a rock that fell from Heaven on Tuesday last week,” she wrote. 

“It has become an attraction and a sight to see in Falealupo…it’s not fake it really happened but you are all afraid.”

Questions sent to the Samoa Meteorological Office have not received a reply.

By Tina Mata'afa-Tufele 12 February 2021, 6:00PM
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